Travolta speaks of heartbreak over son’s death
Several American news websites reported his body would be flown back to Ocala in Florida, where the family own a property, for burial.
An autopsy was being held yesterday to establish the cause of his death.
The actor says he and his wife, Kelly Preston, are heartbroken over the death of their chronically ill son, who collapsed at the family’s holiday home on Grand Bahama.
Police superintendent Basil Rahming has said a caretaker found Jett Travolta unconscious in a bathroom on Friday morning and he was later pronounced dead at a Freeport hospital. The youth was last seen entering the bathroom on Thursday, according to Rahming’s police statement.
“We are heartbroken that our time with him was so brief. We will cherish the time we had with him for the rest of our lives,” Travolta and Preston said in their first public statement since Jett’s death.
“Jett was the most wonderful son that two parents could ever ask for and lit up the lives of everyone he encountered,” said the statement.
“We have received many messages of condolence from around the world and we want to thank everyone for their prayers and support. It has meant so much to us. It is a beautiful reminder of the inherent goodness in the human spirit that gives us hope for a brighter future.”
Preston and Travolta have said that Jett became very sick when he was two years old and was diagnosed with Kawasaki Syndrome, an illness that leads to inflamed blood vessels in young children. Preston blamed household cleaners and fertilisers, and said that a detoxification programme based on teachings from the Church of Scientology helped improve his health, according to People magazine. Others said Jett was prone to seizures.
Michael McDermott, an attorney for the actor, said that although Jett was last seen on Thursday and found the following day, he doesn’t believe that the teen was in the bathroom for a substantial amount of time.
“The police left the impression that the boy was unsupervised. No. There were two nannies with him for the entire evening,” McDermott said. “They made it seem like he was sent to the condo and nobody checked in on him until the next morning.”
“(Jett) was spectacularly supervised,” said McDermott, who said he has not had the chance to talk to the two nannies himself.
McDermott said he had no knowledge of Jett’s medical history but “understood he had a history of seizures”. It is unclear whether Jett was taking medication for that.
The Bahamas’ health minister, Dr Hubert Minnis, said that a second, US-certified pathologist was yesterday due to assist with the teenager’s autopsy.
“I have spoken to [Travolta)]... and informed him that the government is doing everything it can,” Minnis said, adding he could not disclose further specifics about the autopsy.
About a dozen security guards and Bahamian police officers patrolled yesterday around the luxury Old Bahama Bay resort community where Travolta and Preston remained inside their home. The white-sand beach in front of the suites was closed.
The couple also have an eight-year-old daughter, Ella Bleu.
The film star is a follower of the Church of Scientology, and has previously said that the church’s teachings helped his son during earlier medical problems.
The Church of Scientology, established by science fiction writer Ron Hubbard, has attracted numerous celebrity followers.
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